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Surfin’
the News
Published by Permar Publications • P.O. Box 20539 • St. Simons Island, Ga. 31522 • 912-265-9654 • ssislander@bellsouth.net
July 28, 2008 Established 1972 Vol 36 Issue 30
SPC OK's new
Casino pool
• Construction bid
opening Sept. 2
By Matthew J. Permar
Construction on the new
Neptune Park swimming pool
on St. Simons Island will likely
begin well before the year is out
now that Glynn County has
approval for the project from
the Dept, of Natural Resoures’
Shore Protection Committee
(SPC).
The SPC works under the
aegis of the Dept, of Natural
Resources (DNR) and since the
DNR’s ‘Shore Protection Juris
dictional Line’ runs through
the middle of the proposed pool
facility, the county is required
to have an SPC permit to con
struct anything that crosses
the line.
About 2.5 acres of the almost
10 acre public park fall within
the SPC jurisdiction line.
Representing the county at
the SPC’s public hearing on
Thursday, July 24, local archi
tect Robert Ussery laid out the
plan for Phase I of the Nep
tune Park Master Plan.
“The components of Phase
I,” explained Ussery, “include
the swimming pool and pool
deck, a putt-putt golf course,
a pool house and children’s
playground and new, pervious
walkways.”
Ussery went on to explain
that Phase II was back toward
the St. Simons pier and Mal-
lery St. village area.
Phase II, according to Uss
ery, is still in the final design
stage and includes modifi
cations to the street area at
the foot of the pier, walkway
improvements, a small square
with a ‘toddler’ playground and
landscaping.
The project also includes
two crosswalks over the John
son Rocks revetment to the
beach and maintenance of the
revetment itself.
Once the hearing was
opened to the public for com
ment, St. Simons resident and
businessman Roland Daniel
spoke in support of the proj
ect saying, “I appreciate the
county’s efforts in the village
area and I’m fine with this
Turn to Page 7
Neptune Park pool OK'd
Medicare cuts
funding for
local Hospice
By Pamela Permar
Shierling
Hospice of the Golden Isles
will lose 9% of its Medicare
funding November 1, 2008.
The immediate 9% reduction
in medicare funding is just the
beginning. The balance of the
cut, which is another 4%, will
be phased in diming the next
three years. Total reduction
in medicare funding just for
the 2008-2009 fiscal year is
estimated at $255,000. Full
implementation of the pro
posed reduction is estimated
at $386,000.
"This is the largest cut in
Georgia," said Hospice Execu
tive Director Karen Brubak
er, "and almost the largest in
the nation. And our operat
ing expenses are increasing at
20% per year."
While Hospice of the Golden
Isles is not free, they do pro
vide services regardless of the
Turn to Page 5
Hospice funding
Kemp brings
E2020 to Glynn
school system
By Matthew J. Permar
The Glynn County school
system has a new hope for
improving graduation rates -
Education 2020 or E2020 as
it is called in the Egmont St.
administration building.
Just as School Superinten
dent Dr. Michael Bull brought
Bull’s Basics and M.A.G.I.C.
(Making Achievement Gains in
Classrooms) to Glynn County,
newly hired Assistant Super
intendent for Student Achieve
ment Mike Kemp is bringing
the E2020 program with him
from Gainesville (Ga.) High
School, where, as principal, he
used it to increase graduation
rates from 68% to 81% in 20
months.
“I had good success with
E2020 at Gainesville High,”
Kemp told The Islander last
week, “We had one of the high
est graduation rates in the state
Turn to Page 9
BOE approves E2020
Putting GA back together
last Friday, on the Glynn
Academy high school
campus, T&T House
Moving lifted the second
story of the 1840s Glynn
Academy building onto
the first floor. The move was
supervised by The Durable
Restoration Company of
Orange Park, FI. Brumbach
Development of St. Simons
Island is responsible for
putting the old school
building, that
was returned
to the school
board by the
Brunswick City
Commission,
back togeth
er. "We did
the founda
tion work
and the brick
work," said
owner and
presidentBrad
Brumbach.
The top of the
building sat
on I-beams
and was slow
ly hoisted by
two cranes
working
together. "The top will rest temporarily supported by cribbing until it is aligned with the
bottom half then the I-beams will be removed," Scott Schroer of Durable Restoration
said. "This building will be rock solid when it is finished." Islander staff photos